The Western Ghats, or Sahyadri, run about 1,600 km from the Tapti river in the north to the southern tip of India, through Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. They are older than the Himalayas, formed when India broke from Gondwana. They catch the south-west monsoon, drenching the coast and leaving a rain shadow on the Deccan, and are one of the world's biodiversity hotspots with about 30 percent of India's species.
Key facts
- About 1,600 km long across six states; average elevation about 1,200 m; highest peak 2,695 m in Kerala.
- A biodiversity hotspot with about 30 percent of India's flora and fauna, many endemic; at least 325 globally threatened species.
- UNESCO World Heritage Site (2012), 39 sites in seven clusters; the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is the largest protected area in the range.
- Drains almost 40 percent of India; the Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri rise in it.
Why exams ask about it
The highest peak, the gaps, the states, the rivers that rise there and the 2012 UNESCO listing are the usual questions.